War, what war

The ‘war on terror’ was lost the moment it began, by definition. Adopting what are, in effect, terror tactics against ‘terrorists’ falls into the trap of buying into their terms of engagement. The holier than thou approach of some western Christian leaders simply adds confusion.
Ask a simple question, how will we know we have won? The elimination of all terrorists? Eve were that possible what would we then do with Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Mandela, Ariel Sharon, Arafat…? Fight on the ground set out by terrorists and, even when they lose, they win! An abhorrent ideology cannot be defeated by force, by bullets, drones, bombs, (although it keeps the arms manufacturers happy), what is neded is a different, better ideology.
The failure of my, and my parents, generation was in not paying attention and learning the lessons of the previous 150 years. Don’t offer people fredom unless you mean it. You must intend freedom – of culture, of religion, of economy. Instead it has been, democracy, but only on our terms, if we don’t like it we’ll change it.
It is ironic that during the 70’s through the 90’s right wing politics, especially in UK and America criticised, rightly, organised labour’s determination to maintain pay differentials. The poorest paid can only get richer if I get richer still. The irony has been that that essentially is the basis of American and British international economic policy for at least thr last 40 years.
If we wish to defeat ISIL and the Taliban we won’t do it by shouting ‘ we’re better than you’ at the same time as beating hell out of poor and mainky defenceless people. To start with we could stop demonising people who look and speak differently to us. Just because someone wraps himself in a keffiyah doesn’t mean he’s got a bomb stuffed up his jumper.

You aren’t agreeing with me jonolan. Th he assumption that the Islamic world is uncivilised is unwarranted. And civilisation is not the issue. The problem is one of imperialism and extremism, and we are as likely to find those ideas in tge West as the East. I’m not arguing for disengagement, that is simply wishful thinking. I am asking for better engagement, greater civilisation from all including Christian leaders.